Growing pains for organics

The explosion of the organic food sector has major food companies snapping up smaller organic players, but some say the entry of the big firms threatens to dilute the movement. They point to efforts in Congress to allow certain synthetic ingredients, albeit in trace amounts, in food labeled organic under a USDA program and maintain vague rules on the production of organic milk favor ever-larger corporate producers whose cows rarely get to graze on grass-covered fields. But an organic industry trade group counters it is not trying to weaken organic standards, saying it hopes to broaden the sector by clarifying them.